Kentucky football lands first in-state recruit in two years in West Jessamine OL Eli Cox

The new UK football recruiting room at Commonwealth Stadium has a deck overlooking the field and the seats the recruits sit in for the game. Sept. 24, 2015

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky football program has picked up its first in-state commitment in more than two years.

West Jessamine High School offensive lineman Eli Cox, a three-star recruit in the class of 2019, committed to Kentucky Monday, just a week after receiving a scholarship offer from the Wildcats. Cox is UK’s first in-state commitment in the 2019 class. Mark Stoops’ program did not sign a Kentucky native in 2018.

Cox picked UK over reported scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Marshall, Toledo and Western Michigan. He took an unofficial visit to UK for the spring game in April before nabbing the offer from Stoops’ staff.

With Cox ranked as the No. 14 Kentucky prospect in the class of 2019 by 247Sports, his commitment is unlikely to end concerns about the program’s recent in-state recruiting record, but it should at least reassure fans the staff will not go two consecutive years without signing a Kentucky native. Cox could make his commitment official by signing with UK in December.

Lacey, Herron, Bowles and Hudson are all members of the class of 2019, one of the deepest Kentucky senior classes according to recruiting ratings in some time. Kentucky has offered each of the other uncommitted players ranked in the top 10 in the state by 247Sports – four-star Christian Academy athlete Milton Wright (No. 1), four-star Moore defensive end JJ Weaver (No. 6), three-star Western Hills athlete Wandale Robinson (No. 7), three-star Doss defensive end Shawnkel Knight-Goff (No. 8), three-star Manual running back Aidan Robbins (No. 9) and three-star Butler wide receiver Demontae Crumes (No. 10) – but faces competition from Louisville and several traditional powers in the Midwest and South for many of those recruits.

UK recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow, who has done most of his work in Ohio, has taken a more active role in recruiting in-state prospects in recent weeks.